College Football Season Begins with Many Injuries

The college football season’s initial week was fraught with injuries. It all began when Scooby Wright, the Arizona linebacker, tore the cartilage of his left knee. The latest injury was that of Michael Brewer, the quarterback of Virginia Tech, who broke his collarbone.

Kansas State quaterback Jesse Ertz will not be back anytime soon..

Although Brewer and Wright will be back this season, many other injured players will miss the entire season. James Conner, the running back of Pittsburgh; Sammy Douglas, the TCU linebacker; Tarean Folston, the Notre Dame running back; Taysom Hill, the BYU quarterback; Terrel Hunt, the Syracuse quarterback; and Eddie Vanderdoes, the UCLA defensive tackle, are likely to miss the entire season’s games.

Jim Mora Jr., the UCLA coach, said that depth is essential for any team that wants to play at the top level and that quality guys are required to take the place of those injured. He cited the example of Ohio State, which won the national championship of last year although J. T. Barrett and Braxton Miller, its quarterbacks, suffered injuries.

Many teams have already begun adding to their depth. When a knee injury forced Conner out of the game, Qadree Ollison took over and was announced the Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Week.

Among those injured this week is Jesse Ertz, the quarterback of Kansas State, who was replaced by Joe Hubener. Mike Williams of Clemson, who was last season’s top receiver, dashed into a goal post and fractured his neck. Dabo Swinney, the team’s coach, said that he “might not be able to play the rest of this year.”